Jordan Hicks to Philadelphia Eagles: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

The first two rounds of Chip Kelly's debut as general manager really couldn't have gone smoother. The third-year head coach grabbed USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor with the 20th overall pick, hours after the Tennessee Titans picked his former Heisman quarterback, Marcus Mariota, with the No. 2 overall pick. 

In the second round, Kelly patiently waited as a number of players he likely targeted fell before grabbing Utah defensive back Eric Rowe in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. When the Eagles' third-round pick rolled around, potential Eagles targets still on the board included UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings, edge-rusher Danielle Hunter and safety Adrian Amos. 

But Kelly surprised the Eagles' fanbase by picking Jordan Hicks, an inside linebacker from Texas. The immediate initial reaction from many, including myself, is that the move signifies the likely end of the Mychal Kendricks era in Philadelphia. After all, Kendricks has been the subject of trade talks all offseason. Many have been fan-generated regarding a potential trade for Mariota, but the extension for DeMeco Ryans clearly doesn't bode well for Kendricks' future. Then there's the recent report by CBS Sports' Jason LaCanfora that the Eagles are shopping Kendricks and seeking a second-round pick in return. 

However, Kelly refuted any report that he is actively looking to trade Kendricks, as he told reporters that the Eagles haven't discussed trade talks regarding any of their players. The Hicks pick was simply a case of picking the best player available on the team's draft board.

“He was our highest-rated guy by far,” head coach Chip Kelly said, per Reuben Frank of CSN Philly. “We had him late in the second round. He’s got a great skill set, a three-down linebaker. … We don’t want two-down linebackers. We want three-down linebackers. We thought there was great value in the pick. We looked at the board and there was nobody near him.”

So, for now, Kendricks will stay. And with Ryans also on the roster, it's unlikely that new linebacker Jordan Hicks will see much playing time in his rookie season. 

This is likely a pick for the future, and in a year or two when the Eagles have moved on from both Kendricks (free agency) and Ryans (age), Hicks could be the long-term replacement. In fact, ironically, Hicks has extremely similar athletic ability to Kendricks. 

Unlike Kendricks, who is just 5'11", Hicks stands 6'2" and weighs close to 240 pounds. He's battled injuries throughout his college career, missing most of his junior season with a hip injury before suffering a ruptured Achilles the following year. He returned in 2014 to post the best season of his career, recording 107 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions. He was also named a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award as one of the top linebackers in the nation. In high school in 2009, Hicks earned the Dick Butkus Award as the nation's top high school linebacker. 

In 2015, Hicks projects as one of a number of backups at inside linebacker, along with Najee Goode, Emmanuel Acho and Brad Jones. It's possible that the Eagles also look to move him to outside linebacker. They drafted Marcus Smith in the first round in 2014 with the intent to play him at outside linebacker before later working him at inside linebacker, although that was more the result of Smith's failures at his initial position.

Hicks is a solid tackler. As Jeff Ratcliffe of Pro Football Focus says, he missed just two of 71 tackle attempts against Power Five competition in 2014. He's also good in coverage, ranking ninth in coverage grade among all linebackers in this draft class, per Pro Football Focus. The issue with Hicks is as a run-stopper, but luckily, that's one of the strengths the Eagles already have. As a team, they ranked fourth in fewest yards per carry allowed during the 2014 season. 

The Eagles have to be in love with Hicks' versatility, as their new linebacker has played in a number of different formations over the years. 

"I've seen four different linebacker coaches, four different D-coordinators in five years at the University of Texas and have played in 3-4 defenses, 4-3 defenses," he said to reporters in a conference call, per CSN Philly. "I've been spot-drop, man-drop, zone-pressure team, man-pressure team — you name it, I've probably learned it."

Whether the Hicks pick is as a replacement for Kendricks in 2015, a replacement in a few years or just depth at a defensive position where the team was lacking, it's hard to know what to think of Kelly's third-round selection. The Agholor and Rowe picks both felt safe. This feels more like a reach, but in the third round, not every player is going to be the next Ray Lewis. 

Hicks, like every player drafted, will have plenty of time in the next few months to show that he was worth the Eagles using their third-round pick on him.